Disability Representations

TV Drama – Casualty Clip – Disability Representations

In the clip from Casualty, Adam and Alex are in a shopping centre and a long shot and two shot of Adam and Alex is used to show that Alex is disabled and in a motorised wheelchair. The mise-en-scene use of a wheelchair to display disability is a typical stereotype for disabled characters in TV dramas. A shot reverse shot between Adam and Alex is used in the shopping centre to show that that they are on the same intellectual level, as had the conversation taken place in the format of a two shot, there would have been a height difference and it would have seemed like Adam was superior to Alex due to the height difference. A common stereotype of disabled people is that they are less intellectual than non disabled people and by using the two shot to remove the height difference between Adam and Alex in the conversational situation, it attempts to remove the less intellectual stereotype and stops Alex from seemingly being looked down on by his brother.

Another shot reverse shot is used between the husband and wife in the ambulance scene. This was used to show the reaction and look of disgust on the wife’s face at her husband’s new deformity due to an accident and how the blood was trickling out of his nose when he spoke. This shows that the wife is not comfortable looking at her husband in such a way and therefore portrays disability as a bad, or uncomfortable, thing to have and for others to see. The shot reverse shot also puts the husband and wife in different shots, this could represent how disability separates people no matter how close they were before.

The dialogue between Alex and Adam, coupled with the action of Alex moving his wheelchair himself in the shopping centre shows Alex’s independence despite being disabled, as when Adam goes to push Alex’s wheelchair for him Alex replies that he doesn’t want to be “pushed about” which could mean in the literal being wheeled around sense, or in the mental sense of someone having control over him. This portrays disabled people as strong and independent people, the opposite of the stereotype. Alex’s dialogue also seemed to be predominantly negative, he was rude and negative to the shop assistant about Adam trying to play “happy families” with him, he made a negative comment about a watch Adam wanted to buy for him and during the toilet scene he was negative about his disability. This portrays disabled people as very negative towards themselves and others due to their disability and also implies that the disability is a negative thing. An over the shoulder shot is used, which shows Adam over his brother’s shoulder and shows his reaction to the negative comments Alex had made regarding his disability and the day in general.

The diegetic sound in the form of happy sounding music in the café Alex and Adam are sat in helps to portray the scene as happy, normal and just two brothers out for a coffee, as well as just being music to help keep the realism in the scene, as most cafes do play music. The diegetic music doesn’t draw attention to the disability Alex has, as the music is happy and because of Alex’s negative attitude the disability is now associated with negativity and sadness so the audience doesn’t associate it with the music.

During the scene in the toilet Adam is briefly shown, by a high angle, to be looking down on Alex, which makes Alex seem inferior due to his inability to go to the toilet alone due to his disability. This portrays Alex as being denied his dignity and not being independent anymore, as he has to have help going to the toilet.

The diegetic sound of laughter from the women who steal the narcoleptic’s bag after he falls asleep on the floor, shows how the women found his disability amusing and were more concerned with having a good time than helping him. This also shows how disabled people are treated differently to non disabled people as they didn’t help him get back up, or call and ambulance, they stole his stuff instead.

An eye-line match is used when the lads on the bikes look downwards and the shot changes to the narcoleptic sprawled out on the stairs. This shows the severity of the situation and how the bikers intend to separate themselves from the incident due to the bikers looking at the narcoleptic not being in the same shot, but being in separate ones to create the eye-line match.

The camera angle was slightly canted on the close up of the narcoleptic character’s face to show his expression when it looked like he was going to fall asleep due to his disability. The canted angle shows the confusion and disorientation caused by the disability and could also mirror the confusion of others who witness the disability as they aren’t entirely sure what has happened.

Towards the end of the clip, Alex is given the responsibility of calling an ambulance for the collapsed narcoleptic character, showing he can control a situation, can take responsibility and is not hindered by, or lost his confidence due to his disability.